The LGBT community has been synonymous with Arts and Culture in Tampa Bay and around the world. It’s befitting that Pride & Passion, a signature fundraising event for the Tampa Museum of Art, features our community. It’s equally befitting that the money we raise funds programs at the Museum that reduce barriers to admission, create safe places for people to experience the arts, and celebrates our local talent.

“The inspiration for Pride & Passion 13, Strange Beauty, began with the number 13, and the many strange beliefs and superstitions behind it; how it is considered to be an unlucky number by many cultures, but a sacred and lucky number by others, says Marvin Meeks – 2018 Chair & Event Designer. “These dichotomous beliefs made me think how art and people are often perceived in the same way. One person may look at a Dalí or Kahlo painting and think its subject matter is weird, or dark, or even taboo, while another person thinks it’s fascinating and beautiful; and since life imitates art, this translates into our everyday lives. People of different races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, and cultures are often considered to be strange. Our diversities are as endless as the opinions about them. What is perfectly normal to one person may be bizarre to another, but truly beautiful things happen when we see something or someone that we don’t identify with, or maybe even makes us uncomfortable, and emotions are evoked, thoughts are formed, questions are asked, and we see something that we haven’t seen before and find the light in the darkness and the beauty in the strangeness,” states Meeks.

Begin your night with an exclusive VIP Pre-Party where you and your guest(s) will enjoy a private, more intimate experience of Strange Beauty before the arrival of an estimated 600+ guests.

From the moment you and your guests enter the gallery, you will be part of a scene that epitomizes the raucous and irreverent world of surrealism, with a distinct Pride & Passion twist. Before the doors open for main event ticket holders at 8pm, you will be escorted to the main event by works of living art.

COMING EVENTS

This exhibition explores the extraordinary life of renowned music promoter Bill Graham (1931- 1991) who helped launch and promote the careers of countless rock & roll artists. It also traces the indomitable spirit of a[...]

This family-friendly annual tradition presented by the City of Largo features a spectacular holiday light display, enchanting carousel and seven-story Ferris wheel that offers a breathtaking overhead view of the 70-acre Largo Central Park and[...]

Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING The Tampa Museum of Art is pleased to present Yayoi Kusama’s LOVE IS CALLING, one of the artist’s iconic Infinity Rooms, on loan from the Vinik Family Foundation Collection. An immersive,[...]

This exhibition explores the extraordinary life of renowned music promoter Bill Graham (1931- 1991) who helped launch and promote the careers of countless rock & roll artists. It also traces the indomitable spirit of a[...]

This family-friendly annual tradition presented by the City of Largo features a spectacular holiday light display, enchanting carousel and seven-story Ferris wheel that offers a breathtaking overhead view of the 70-acre Largo Central Park and[...]

Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING The Tampa Museum of Art is pleased to present Yayoi Kusama’s LOVE IS CALLING, one of the artist’s iconic Infinity Rooms, on loan from the Vinik Family Foundation Collection. An immersive,[...]

This exhibition explores the extraordinary life of renowned music promoter Bill Graham (1931- 1991) who helped launch and promote the careers of countless rock & roll artists. It also traces the indomitable spirit of a[...]

This family-friendly annual tradition presented by the City of Largo features a spectacular holiday light display, enchanting carousel and seven-story Ferris wheel that offers a breathtaking overhead view of the 70-acre Largo Central Park and[...]

Yayoi Kusama: LOVE IS CALLING The Tampa Museum of Art is pleased to present Yayoi Kusama’s LOVE IS CALLING, one of the artist’s iconic Infinity Rooms, on loan from the Vinik Family Foundation Collection. An immersive,[...]

This exhibition explores the extraordinary life of renowned music promoter Bill Graham (1931- 1991) who helped launch and promote the careers of countless rock & roll artists. It also traces the indomitable spirit of a[...]